Advertisements
My son has been doing so well lately - has really grown up this past year. Figure I'd better brag now because with puberty on the horizon and it may be a while before I brag again!!!
My child who always resisted reading and needed to be pushed, suddenly is obsessed with finishing a book. Typical for him, he underachieves when doing the summer reading program by choosing the easiest books I will let him get away with. After 4 Berstain Bears chapter books, I insisted on an upgrade. He refused to pick out a book, so I got him a Young Indiana Jones Chapter book. While he washed up dishes that night I read
him the first 2 chapters. Well, he has now read 2 Indy Jones books, and last night I had to order him to "stop reading and eat supper". Never thought I would be saying those words!!
This week he is at vacation bible school. In the past I have always volunteered for the program because his behaviors were too challenging to leave up to a rookie. Now, I just pull up like any other parent and just simply drop my kid off and leave. I do miss volunteering, really enjoy working with the kids - but it's important for him to do things without me now.
Last month my son went to a 5 night cub scout sleep over camp. While my dh did stay there, my son slept in a tent with a peer, not with Dad. Tornados went through while they were there. It hit the hilltops on both sides of the camp but skipped over the top of the camp and landed in the next valley over. Our group was in a craft pavilion when a tree fell just a few feet behind it. Camp staff handled all this wonderfully. My son is showing some PTSD stuff, because at 11:00 that night threatening weather arose again, and they had to evacuate all the kids from
tents to solid buildings. But despite the extra clingyness during
recurrent stormy weather, he is very stable behaviorally!!!
What a big change from a few years ago when RAD was still a major issue. My son also has a mild bipolar disorder and despite the recent anxiety - there are no signs of manic cycling. Not sure if it's related but my son switched to a new OT clinic in June and has finially been able to get speech therapy for CAPD. Both therapist report excellant prograss. We may discontinue therapy when school resumes and see if he can hold his own. In May we also started a PT plan at home for difficulties with core/trunk muscles.
I have always seen his issues (RAD, bipolar, CAPD, SID) as being very interconnected. None can be viewed in isolation. Symptoms overlap and when 1 system is out of sorts they all seem out of sorts. I look forward to him entering 5th grade, and to see how he handles the increased pressure. This is the year I am insisting on fading out his aide. We are developing a plan on Friday to have her as a resource only, and not to actually be in his classroom. Since she is written into his 504 plan as a classroom aide, this means a lot of other kids can benefit from her presence. The OT will put in writing a request that she be used
routinely for sensory breaks, otherwise let him manage in a regular classroom setting on his own.
Just wanted to share a few episodes of recent success!!:D
Like
Share
My daughter is like your son in many ways. She is the same age, and hates to read. I have tried a lot of different things. But was wondering if you could summarize some of what you tried. My daughter is also switching from not having a personal aide this year, to her classes having a "para" in each of her classes. She did not have an aide in gym, art and music last year, but had one for the academics. This distinction for her will be a relief, as she did not like being singled out as different. She is also going to a different school, so I am optimistic...(Same school district however)
Congrats on your success..I would be dancing in the streets if I had to tell my daughter to put the book down.
Advertisements
Actually we have just followed routine school recommendations for reading. I have been reading the Harry Potter books to him. When he can't fall asleep at night, I welcome him to go ahead and read for as long as he would like. He now enjoys reading our local newspaper - it's really a small town gossip column!!! I guess that started because he would want me to read the captions to pictures to him and I would convienently not be available until "10 minutes". He wanted to know what they said right away so would read it himself.
Compliance with the summer reading program and reading during the school year was typically a toughie for him. But I just took away the power struggle. I never demanded that he read - but he could not do the fun things until his responsibilities (including reading) were done. I did cut way back on the time frames recommended by teachers. I simple was not going to fight him for 30 minutes per day of reading - so I choose to make it 1 or 2 chapters instead. I would cut way back on my request if he was cycling or there was a lot going on, and expect more when I felt he could do it. We are in the car a lot, so typically I encourage reading at that time. His preference is to lay down and veg out during an entire car ride, I would simple state that he could lay down once he read because otherwise he would be too tired.
I take advantage of a lot of teachable moments too. Not to say he didn't get nasty about this when he was in his prime - but I just stuck by my guns. We would take turns reading when touring museums, zoos etc. If he did not take his turn, then dh and I did not take another turn either. I like to cook with him, and will conviently be too busy with a cooking task, to read the next step in a recipe - so will need him to read it to me. Etc...
The sudden drive to read has taken me by surprise. I never expected to turn him into a big reader. Now - it's only been 2 books, so too soon to see if the change will last, but I am enjoying this for now. He's always enjoyed series of books, so I just looked thru what the library had to offer and since he's always liked mysteries - picked what I thought would be the most enticing.
DimasMom
We are doing the same thing with our soon-to-be-adopted daughter (age 10, finishing 3rd grade) that we did with our birth sons when they were younger. She goes to bed at 8, and can read until 8:30. She stopped reading for a few days, so I said, "maybe you need to go to bed at 7:30 so you won't be too tired to read." She certainly didn't want to go to bed earlier! The reading started up again. She just started reading "The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe" and absolute loves it--I'm trying to get the other books so she can go from one to the next.